Last week I taught an engineering systems modeling course at the Navy’s SPAWAR installation in San Diego, California. In the evenings, we enjoyed the scenic vistas, great restaurants, and a little sightseeing. One unexpected highlight on the last day of our trip was a visit to the USS Midway aircraft carrier that is permanently docked in San Diego bay, and is one of the most visited ship museums in the world.

The largest ship ever built at the time with a crew complement of over 4100, the USS Midway was also one of the longest serving aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy (1945-1992). Consider the tremendous operational challenges of providing energy, water and food for this floating “city on the sea”, and the continuing requirements for other large ships (both military and commercial) currently in service.

An Opportunity for Hydrogen Energy Storage?

Imagine the logistical benefits of a system that could store energy and simultaneously processes seawater to potable water for large ships. Such a system might support onboard controlled environment agriculture using grow lights and mist irrigation to provide food and drinking water for the crew and passengers. In addition, other onboard energy requirements could be met by the system thereby freeing up more primary power for propulsion and other critical functions.

Could Isotherm Energy’s hydrogen energy storage architecture be the basis for such a system? In an upcoming post, I’ll explore that question along with other applications that are uniquely well matched for the advantages of hydrogen energy storage.

Matt Moran is a Managing Partner at Isotherm Energy and has been developing power, thermal, and fluid systems since 1982. He has a passion for the business and engineering of technology development and its integration into commercial products. Matt was the Sector Manager for Energy and Materials at NASA Glenn Research Center where he worked for over 30 years. He has also co-founded or been a key contributor to five technology based start-ups; and provided R&D and engineering consulting to many industrial, government and research organizations. More about Matt here…